A Drink With A「Hermit」
by VoyeurTheNinja
Summary: After the funeral of Miki Sayaka, the disappearance of Tomoe Mami, and the distancing between a grief-struck Madoka and her mother, Junko and Kazuko head to a small a bar in a part of town for a drink to talk about this. During their conversation, a mysterious old man enters the bar with some wisdom Junko could use at the moment.


It's late night, and inside a bar within the main town of Mitakihara were a pair of women sitting at the counter, holding their drinks in hand. The shorter one was a teacher who worked at the middle-school that was the first to be established in the city, wearing a pair of glasses, a small jacket and a skirt. She looked younger than her companion, who sported a sharp business suit and was taller than her friend.

As they spoke, rain continued to pour outside, heavily drenching the streets and the pedestrians that held their umbrellas in hand. The inside of the bar was warm and comfortable, unlike the cold streets outside, and was extensively designed with paintings, potted plants and enough seats to accommodate at least 50 people. The alcohol bottles on the shelves behind the counter showed the reflections of the only two customers in the bar. The bartender had left for while, having gone to the back for a smoke.

The shorter woman, named Saotome Kazuko, slowly shook her glass of martini, lamenting, "Losing a student like this is pretty hard..."

"I'd imagine," her companion, Kaname Junko, muttered under her breath. She held a shot glass of beer with a chunk of ice in it. She hadn't touch it ever since the bartender poured it for her, as she just stared right at it.

"It's even worst that they don't know what happened. There's even another girl missing among the seniors," Kazuko sipped her martini, slowly placing it back on the table. Her tone was soft and depressed, unlike how she usually was, "The last staff meeting was a disaster... I guess they don't know anything, do they?"

The small chunk of ice in Junko's shot glass shook, creating a small 'tink' sound on the misty glass.

"It sounded like Sayaka had some relationship troubles. She was pretty damaged by the incident," she watched the liquid in her glass stir as she shook the glass again, frowning, "Normally it would end with everyone the wiser... but for it to turn out like this..."

The bartender returned, taking out a wet rag to clean some shot glasses whilst minding his own business. To drown out the noise if the rain outside, he turned on the stereo and took out an album of The Beatles from underneath the counter. Opening up a small CD player behind him, he popped in the disc and continued with his business.

"The police seem like they're just going to end the investigation, saying she died from all the stress she endured from running away from home. It's not like they have any leads," she sipped her glass again, lips pursed, "How is Madoka faring?"

Junko's voice was as low as Kazuko's, her eyes glued to her shot glass, "I don't know... My intuition tells me she knows something, yet, she doesn't seem like she's lying. This is the first time I haven't been able to tell what she's up to," her elbow sat on the table, her hand cupping her forehead, "Pretty pathetic on my part, considering she's my daughter."

Kazuko was surprised by her friend's state of helplessness, sadly commenting, "I'd never thought I hear you be negative."

"She's been acting kind of strange lately. I always thought she's just dealing a lot by herself, but no matter how long I wait, she just never comes to me for help," Junko grabbed her shot glass and gulped down the entire glass in one go, slowly putting it back on the table, "I thought she relied on me a bit more than that..."

While the two talked, the door to the bar opened, and coming in was an old man with brimmed ,woolen cap with long ear flaps. Tightening the edges of his thick, wet jacket, he adjusted his spectacles and walked up the counter in a pair of baggy pants. He stood next to the two, who noticed him as he called to the bartender. The man looked like a foreigner, but spoke fluent Japanese with perfect pronunciation.

"Excuse me, bartender, may I have one bottle of coca cola, please?" he took a seat next to the women, not minding their presence. He then scratched his wrinkled cheeks, thinking twice about his order, "Wait, make that three, please. The other two for these two women over here," the old man gestured to both Kazuko and Junko with a gloved hand.

They shared a confused look, as they were wondering what was an old man doing here at this kind of time and place. He was soaked in water, with reasons they could guess from the lack of an umbrella. He also looked to be no older than 70, or maybe 90. Curious, Junko was the first to ask, "Excuse me, what are you-? I mean, why are you doing this?"

The old man took off his spectacles, rubbing the lenses with a cloth he had in his pocket, "Well, you two looked like you were a having a bit of a problem with your kids. I can tell," he thanked the bartender as he received three bottles of coke, two of which he slid over to Junko and Kazuko. With a friendly smile, he slid two clean glasses to them, "How about we talk it over a bottle of cola? I've had my share of problems with my own kids."

Reluctantly accepting the drinks from a stranger, they popped open the bottles with a cap-opener and poured the drinks into their shot glasses. Junko looked at the old man, who seemed about as wise as he looked old. She could tell from his weary eyes that he had been through a lot.

"Thank you for the drink," Kazuko nodded, "And your name is...?"

"Joestar. Joseph Joestar," he introduced himself with a tip of his cap, drinking the glass of cola with a look of satisfaction and nostalgia. Wiping his mouth with a tissue, he continued, gesturing his glass to Junko, "So, what's your name? You look like you're having some trouble."

"Kaname... Kaname Junko," Junko held her glass loosely, hesitant to speak to a stranger, but not to someone who looked twice her age, "It's just that my daughter... she's been acting strange lately. Going out and coming back late, her friend had got into an accident, she's been looking so down lately," her grip around her glass tightened, the corners of her mouth turning downwards, "We've been so distant lately, and she won't tell me anything. Not even when I ask."

Joseph had a look of understanding, his hand pouring some more cola into his glass, "Ah, I've been there before. Too many times than I would like," Joseph let out a heavy sigh, "I had a daughter who would always smile no matter what happened to her. It didn't matter if she was hurt or in trouble, she'd always make sure we wouldn't worry about her. And her son? Oh boy, was he stone-cold," there was a slight hint of pain in his voice, "I also had a son - illegitimate - it took me a while to ever get close to him, since I had left his mother when she was pregnant."

"You sound like you've been through Hell," Junko said, offering a friendly toast to which Joseph and Kazuko accepted, "If only our problems can just go away when we want them to. Why does it have to be this way?" she lamented.

"Yeah. But that's what it means to be parent, Mrs. Kaname," standing up, Joseph moved around the counter to the music player and increased the volume, as the bartender had left again while they were talking, "As a parent, you go through pain; difficulties; heartbreak; struggle; arguments. It's what makes us alive, and we would learn from our mistakes," he turned to the women and gave a tired smile, saying, "If you never made a mistake in your life, or encountered any problems, then how can you tell that you're even alive?"

The two stared at Joseph as returned to his seat, having not expected a random stranger to just talk about all of this when they just had met. Gulping down the rest of his cola, he adjusted his coat and gave one last piece of advice, "Mrs. Kaname, sometimes you just need to let your kid think for themselves before talking to them. Let them gather up their thoughts and they'll open up to you eventually. We were all kids before, remember that, and think about what your parents felt when you were your daughter's age."

Junko's eyes widened, as Kazuko nodded in agreement, "Thank you," the business woman said, "I haven't really thought about that..."

Leaving a wad of cash from his wallet on the table, Joseph gave a friendly wave as he exited the bar. Reaching the exit, he opened the door and the rain was still pouring heavily outside. But the Joestar didn't seem to mind, having most likely come here the same way, "Oh, and, Miss, if you ever need help, just call the my grandson's company, the Speedwagon Foundation. When people are in need of help, they'll be there to help."

Hearing the door closing behind her and the bartender coming back again, Junko thought of his words, thinking about giving some time to Madoka before confronting her. Finishing her bottle of cola with Kazuko, the bartender suddenly yelled in surprise at the hundred-dollar note Joseph had left on the table.


End file.
